People generally hate Mondays. But the problem on campus isn’t Monday—it’s the day before.
The weekend starts on Thursday, because after the previous four full days who goes to class on Friday? It’s also a misdemeanor to study on Friday and Saturday; even the libraries seem supportive of this law, closing their doors early and encouraging the children of Cornell to go out and play. Consequently students often begin Sunday mornings realizing they have an eigh-page paper due the next day or 300 pages of biochem to plow through, all while brainstorming innovative ways to cleanse the vodka flowing through their system.
On a recent Sunday, I and the other members of the Cornell men’s and women’s cross country teams were up at 7:30 a.m. (without hangovers but also without much sleep) to volunteer at the Ithaca 5 & 10, an annual road race sponsored by the Finger Lakes Runners Club. We all grumbled on the drive to Ithaca High School while clutching our coffee cups. But once we pulled into the parking lot and saw the balloons arching over the finish line and the smiles from the local runners, I realized maybe Sunday mornings aren’t so bad after all.
Every year members of the cross country teams serve as crossing guards, cheering on those in Tompkins County crazy enough to also love running. We positioned an athlete at each intersection along the course, covering the roads from Stewart Park to the Commons. Some drivers were confused, and others annoyed, that a twenty-one-year-old would ask them to detour to avoid hitting the runners. But overall we felt welcomed. The runners waved and thanked us for helping out. Residents walking their dogs stopped to ask what was going on. One kind lady even invited me into her house to use her bathroom—without me even asking.
Our annual participation not only helps bridge the gap between the Cornell and Ithaca communities. It also forces us students to realize that life exists outside the university fortress. Although I did spend the rest of the day reading enough about Melville to sink the Pequod, I discovered that perhaps an antidote to Sunday downers is simply to leave campus.